The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared permanent appointments in Sindh government on BPS-17 and above without the process of public service commission as illegal.
During a hearing of the apex court at Karachi registry, the court reviewed a case pertaining to the appointment of officials in Sindh on grades over BPS-16 on a permanent basis.
The Supreme Court directed the Sindh government to submit a reply to the matter by Thursday and remarked that any permanent appointments on grades over BPS-16 without public service commission exam is against the law.
“If contract employees had to be given a permanent status then it should have been carried out through the public service commission,” the court remarked while terming appointments on BPS-16 on contract as an entirely different matter.
The apex court remarked that they would give their decision as per the law, without considering whatever mechanism the provincial government applies for the appointments.
In April this year, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ruled that contract officers from grade 16 and above cannot be regularized without clearing the public service commission’s exam.
Hearing a case, a two-member bench of the SHC headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar nullified the regularization of those contractual officers whose job had been confirmed without passing the commission’s exam in the province.
Procedure for regularization of contract officers from grade 16 and above has already been defined in the public service rules, ruled the court. After completing the contract period, the officers could not claim for regularization.
The SHC directed the Sindh chief secretary to present the list of those officers who had been regularized without passing the exam before the court.
Moreover, the SC in a ruling in the encroachment case said that not an inch of the railway land would be allowed to be sold.
Thecourt in an order restricted the sale, transfer and allotment of any of the Pakistan Railways lands.
The court in a written order after hearing of the case expressed its concern over an alleged plan to sell the railways land in Sindh.
“The bench was informed that the federal government was reportedly planning to sell railway lands in Sindh and a meeting to this effect was held at the Governor House in Karachi,” the court observed.
The bench noted that the government was approaching the court for removal of encroachments on its land, but on the other hand it seemed plans are under consideration to sell the railway land.
The court said that not an inch of the railway land would be allowed to be sold and the apex court would strike down any such move.
The court while ordered the federal government to submit a detailed report on the train crash in Ghotki, observed that the Pakistan Railways affairs were in unprofessional hands. The bench asked the government to take measures to ensure safety of passengers.
